Description of the Test

The CPE has five
components: reading comprehension, composition, use of English,
listening comprehension, and an interview.

Reading
Comprehension:
Candidates are expected to show comprehension of gist, detailed
content, tone and register. They are also tested on their wider
knowledge of vocabulary, usage and grammatical control.

There are two
sections. In the first section there are twenty-five multiple-choice
items. In the second section there are three texts, each between
350 and 550 words in length, with a total of fifteen items.
Candidates must demonstrate comprehension of the text by
completing a number of multiple choice items.

Composition: Candidates must be able to write non-specialised
texts of a descriptive, narrative and discursive nature covering
a range of topics.

There are five
tasks from which the candidate chooses two. One of the five is
based on an optional reading of one of three books. Responses
should be approximately 300 or 350 words, as specified. One or
more texts may be read as background preparation for optional
tasks in Paper 2. See the website.

Use
of English:
Candidates are expected to demonstrate their knowledge and
control of the language system by completing various tasks at
text and sentence level. They are also required to read a text
and answer comprehension questions and to summarise specified
information from the text.

There are two
sections. The first section consists of forty-two items of the
following four types: one-word gap filling, transformation, word
or phrase level gap filling and rewriting. The second section is
a reading comprehension task with twelve to fifteen items and a
summary writing task (approximately 80 words).

Listening
Comprehension:
Candidates are expected to extract information, interpret
speakers attitudes and recognise the implications of stress
and intonation. Texts take the form of announcements, dialogues,
extracts from radio programmes, etc.

There are
usually three or four texts, each lasting between 1 and 4 minutes,
with approximately thirty items of the following types: multiple
choice, true/false, matching information, gap filling. All parts
are repeated.

Interview: Candidates may be tested either
individually, in pairs or in groups of three. They must be able
to discuss and comment on issues and express opinions. The first
task involves describing and comparing a set of thematically
linked photographs. Candidates are then required to read a
passage silently and to comment on, for example, its source, its
intended audience, etc. The final part consists of one or more
communicative activities (discussion, planning, problem-solving,
etc.). One or more texts may be read as background preparation
for optional tasks in Paper 5. See the website.

Scoring

Each component
is equally weighted and carries 22% of the total marks, except
listening which carries 12%. There are 3 pass grades (A, B and C).
Candidates who achieve a great D, E or U are judged not to have
reached the required standards of the CPE.